Creating A Vintage Paradise: The Dos and Don’ts

‘Authenticity’ used to be a given. Before synthetic materials hit the furnishing market, we trusted in the craftsmanship we could see, marvelling at the fact that people had clearly poured their utmost skill into our home accessories. Yet many people feel disconnected from modern manufacturing trends; they don’t want bland, minimalist furniture, and they’re desperate for a touch of class in their environment.

Vintage aesthetics, subsequently, have climbed ever higher in the popular imagination. Everyone seems to be dreaming up cool and quirky ways to incorporate retro furniture into their property.

Here are our tips for doing so, including how to avoid authentic overkill…

Keep decor simple around your statement pieces

Do: Choose your backdrop carefully

Before a single vintage piece sneaks into your décor, you have to decide the route you’re going to take with wallpaper, carpets and bare floors. Such things will impact the rest of your setup considerably, since they can overpower certain items that are, themselves, a marvel of detail and design.

Complexity on a wider scale should be inhabited by sparse trinkets and accessories, and vice versa. A big, ornate armchair, for instance, will have pride of place atop exposed floorboards.

Don’t: Make it complicated

You may be drawn to a gregariously patterned wall in yellow and black, with dark carpeting from end to end. This will look amazing with a simple wooden wardrobe, yet will be too much if you go for an antique storage unit, the kind that rears up and dominates the room. Having several showstoppers vying for attention will just make everything seem messy and ill-complemented.

Do: Explore fitted bedroom furniture

Romantic vintage; bespoke classic design by Hartleys

If you’re searching for traditional bedroom furniture, don’t shy away from bespoke, fitted manufacture – it’s the most assured way to getting exactly what you want, with hints of modernity to shake up the vintage feel.

Measure the exact proportions of where your bed will fit alongside cabinets, bedside tables and overbed units. That last addition can be super impressive, especially if you complement with built-in downlights.

Don’t: overindulge on lighting

Much of the vintage attraction comes from the intimate ambience it creates in a room. So be careful not to detract from this; keep the colours dusky and subdued. Illumination comes best when it’s from your reading lamp, and dimmers are always a good option for rooms that need flexible lighting.

Do: Explore vintage-look options

Rocking back with cognac in hand is pretty much top of the agenda for a retro fetishist. But you don’t need to blow the budget on a vintage desk from an antique store. A service like ours can recreate that classic appearance for a fraction of the cost, with hand-painted MDF designs. And you’ll be the only one who knows about it…

Pursuing this kind of style is quite breathtaking, since you have decades (or even centuries) of looks to combine at your leisure. Get Hartleys Rooms at your side for tailored, intelligent furnishing design, and call us on 01756 700471 for a free consultation.